


From Friends to Lovers

by Yamina20



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Is Sunshine, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, F/M, Inspired by Miraculous Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Knows, Mentioned Alya Césaire and Nino Lahiffe, Mentioned Plagg and Tikki, Miraculous Fluff Month, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Oblivious Adrien Agreste, POV Adrien Agreste, Plagg Being Plagg, Plagg Loves Cheese, Plagg is a Little Shit, Post-Reveal Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, School Dances, Supportive Tikki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-07-01 01:28:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15763800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yamina20/pseuds/Yamina20
Summary: With a school dance coming up Adrien has to choose who to take with him on the fly: his childhood friend or the shy, quiet class president?





	From Friends to Lovers

“Adrikins!”

Turning with his false, model smile, Adrien waved at his oldest (and currently his most cringe worthy) friend. Who threw herself into his arms like she belonged in them. Secretly, he was glad Plagg chose to stay in his school bag instead this morning.

“H-hey, Chloe,” he mumbled back, turning his head to avoid the smooch coming his way.

“Did you hear?” she asked batting her eyelashes at him, when she realized he wasn’t going to let her kiss him.

“Um… no?”

“There’s a school dance coming up, next month! I need a date and I have the perfect dress and EVERYTHING. Would you go with me?” she asked, batting her over made eyelashes again.

“I… um…” the young man floundered, thinking of ANY one he knew that could get him out of the impending disaster. Then he saw his usual group of friends heading into the entrance and he got an idea.

“Um… I’m really sorry Chlo, but I just can’t,” he started quietly. Waiting until the others got closer before speaking up a little louder.

“I kind of… meant to ask someone else to go with me.”

“WHO?!”  the brat demanded.

“Marinette, actually,” he said looking straight at his lovely friend, right into her surprised bluebell eyes.

“WWWWHHHHHAAAAAAATTTT!” came the horrified screech.

Everyone in the vicinity winced then turned, looking down at the new spectacle that the mayor’s daughter was making of herself. Realizing her faux pas, Chloe schooled her features, cleared her throat, and looked back at Adrien. Sabrina did damage control by yelling at everyone to keep going about their own business ‘that there were was nothing to see.’ The model put his hand on her shoulder and smiled gently at her.

“I’m sorry, Chloe-”

“Save it, Adrien,” she said as she gently brushed his hand off her shoulder. “While I love and adore you, you obviously have poor taste in women if you’re set on going with _her_. Enjoy your time at the dance with sub-par over there. We’ll catch up later when you’ve woken up from your delusion,” she stated as she walked away with her nose in the air.

As suddenly as she’d come in, she’d stomped away with her tattered dignity swathing around her like a cloak and Sabrina panting after her like a misguided loyal puppy. Adrien heaved a sigh, and then looked back at his school friends. The grins on Nino and Alya’s faces spoke volumes, while Marinette’s blooming cheeks, wide eyes and her slightly parted lips showed her shock. His brows drew in concern over his emerald eyes, his quiet friend worrying him. He made the last few steps over to her side.

“Marinette? Are you okay?” the model asked, worried she might faint if she didn’t start breathing or moving. “Look, if you-”

“C-can we… talk for a moment? In private, please?” she asked nervously.

“Um… sure,” he shrugged.

Adrien quietly followed her, he tried going over in his mind if he’d done anything recently that might upset her. His mind drew a blank, while they made their way to the library. Looking around to make sure no students were loitering about, Marinette turned to face him, determination in her ceruleans.

“Are you serious?”

“What do you mean by ‘serious?’” he asked, confused.

“Were you really going to ask me to the dance?”

“Well, yes. You’re my friend and it’s normal for friends to ask each other to these kinds of events, right? Besides, I know that if I go with you, we’ll both have fun and enjoy ourselves,” he said smiling at the young designer. Then he started fidgeting.

“But um…,” he started nervously with a blush. “I also wanted to ask you to um- go as my girlfriend.”

“R-really?” she whispered, as though she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

“Y-yeah,” he said rubbing the back of his neck.

“Why? I mean- don’t get me wrong, I would love to go to the dance with you, but I know you’ve only ever seen me as a friend for the last few years we’ve known each other. Why the sudden change of heart?”

“To be honest, it’s not all that sudden,” he explained. “You see, you are my friend, one of the few people I feel close to. At first, I’d only seen you as kind, klutzy, and shy. Then I got to see other sides of you as time went by, how creative and spontaneous you can be, when you’re being brave and trying to help others, especially during Akuma attacks or when someone is being bullied by Chloe.”

“It’s not that amazing or hard to stand up to her,” she mumbled, smirking up at him while he chuckled.

“Over time,” he continued warming up to his subject, “being able to hang out with you outside of school, I got to see and know you better. Coming over for gaming, or baking with you has helped me understand that there’s more to you than what is seen at first glance. Observing you in your element, being around all of us, it’s helped me spot the real you. I’ve really come to like you, Marinette. As more than just a friend and it’s driving me crazy that I haven’t asked you out sooner, so would you please be my girlfriend and my date to the school dance?”

Adrien looked at his secret crush through his lashes, and some of his blonde locks that had fallen over from its usual coif, a blush and nervous smile graced his face. He knew he was clutching the strap of his book bag, to keep from having it run through his hair or neck again. She was the only other girl besides Ladybug who he felt this way about, the irony was how much they looked alike and reminded him of each other.

While he knew Ladybug never really felt the same, he also understood that she still cared about him, which was enough even if it had hurt. In a way, he was glad that Ladybug had pushed him away; it had given him a chance to truly see the class president in a whole new light. She was vivacious, creative, and brave in her own right. A true leader and a truer friend when others needed her, he hadn’t found anyone better than her yet. He honestly thought he never would either, its part of the long and longer list of reasons why he’d fallen for her and could no longer ignore his attraction for her. He had to admit to himself he felt kind of dense for denying his feelings for so long. She may not wear a magical superhero suit, but he knew she was in a league of her own. In a way, he almost felt unworthy of her.

“Adrien,” she started and he shook himself out of his revelry to pay attention.

“Yes, Mari?”

She looked up at him her gentle bluebell eyes gazing up at him like he’d given her the stars, sun and moon. The blush on her face was very rosy bringing out the golden freckles that were across them and her nose that liked to hide them when she wasn’t. Her smile was wide and sweet, while she grabbed at his larger hand that was clutching his book bag, their fingers intertwining.

“I would really like to go to the dance with you and I would love to be your girlfriend,” she said gently.

Praying this was not a dream, he clutched at her hand and finding the warmth from it there, he pulled her closer to him. He smiled down at her as he let go of her hand and brought her into a very tight hug. He knew if he was in his suit now, he’d be purring, at that moment. He had a feeling Plagg was gagging in his bag over all this ‘mushy stuff.’

 

OOO

 

During the dance, Adrien had shown up, decked out in a nice tuxedo that wasn’t as fancy as the others in his wardrobe. There were times when Gabriel would take his son (and best asset) with him, to fancier and less fun parties. But since he was at school and still wanted to look good for Marinette, he made sure to at least wear a tie and corsage in colors similar to her dress. All she had said when he asked was that she would be wearing ‘cool blue,’ and then she’d kissed his cheek, running back to her home after their second date two weeks ago. Where he knew she was gradually getting ready for the party and him.

Plagg had done as the young model expected; complained and teased about ‘all the love crap’ relentlessly. Adrien couldn’t care less, elated that she’d kissed him. He had a hard time restraining himself from using his Miraculous and running over the rooftops to take a visit, possibly catching sight of her dress in the process. His kwami was more than happy to remind him that he had a cell phone to text or even call his new girlfriend. He’d forgone the whole thing so he wouldn’t seem too needy or desperate.

Nino was soon at the turntables bringing the party to life, which brought Adrien out of his reverie. He started looking around for her, she had told him earlier that she would meet him at the dance, and saw Alya’s bright auburn hair along with a group of most of the girls from his class. Knowing how close both girls were to each other, he decided to make his way over. As he headed towards the corner with tables near the back, he could start making out what his best friend’s girlfriend was wearing. It was a lovely orange gown with a low back; it had a sweetheart neckline with a short skirt in the front at about two inches above the knee and lower in the back trailing to her ankles. She was wearing some wedges with Grecian style straps, her hair half up and half down framing her face.

Adrien started doubting that his girlfriend was over there until he caught a flash of blue-black hair from one of the small moving spot-lights that was roving all over the place. Making a beeline in the crowd for their group, he noticed that some of the girls were moving away with their dates onto the dance floor, which helped him see more of her. That’s when he stopped dead in his tracks, only a few feet away from the girls at the edge of the crowd as he drank in the sight of his date.

True cool blue, to bright sky blue, to pure white ombre was the material he’d given to her as Chat Noir two years ago as a thank you gift for helping during an Akuma attack (and secretly hoping she’d stay out of anymore battles) was now draped on her petite frame. As Chat or Adrien he hadn’t seen the material be used for any projects and assumed she’d kept it as a keepsake, apparently not. The neckline of the gown was cut into a square shape with tiny ruffle caplet sleeves at the shoulders, tapering around her waist, and then naturally flowing over her wider hips. The skirt had a peek-a-boo slit that fluttered up mid-thigh showing off one creamy leg and foot clad in a white kitten heel, the hem ending just around her ankle.

When she turned to talk to Alex on her left, he was delightedly surprised to see that she’d taken the back and had strips of the same true blue material creating a lattice weave with it. It reminded him of the glass stained windows at Notre Dame. It still showed her back but had a sense of artistic modesty, with painstaking stitches of flowers sewn in the straps in a metallic sky blue color that he could see winking in the light with her signature also sewn along the back of the neckline. The shape looking like an upside down rounded A on her back.

While she’d worn pig-tails when they’d first met, her hair style had changed over time. Tonight, her mid-shoulder length hair was in a simple low bun at the base of her head, a part of it had been French braided from her forehead leading into the bun but how it was done was hidden by a white gardenia hair ornament. Around her neck she wore a simple silver chain with the red yang symbol, she’d said she had gotten it from a close friend a few years ago for her birthday and wore it as a sign of that friendship, along with the silver and black stud earrings that she never took off.

Picking his jaw off the floor, Adrien mentally shook himself as he moved closer to the girls, who had noticed him drooling. A few of them were giggling; others were quieter with secret smiles, but all of the signs notifying his girlfriend that he was there. He knew he was not only going to get a ribbing from the others in the class, but also more from Plagg, then again who could honestly blame him? Marinette had gone all out and blown all his other fantasies out of the water with this gorgeous number, he knew that he was extremely lucky with her.

“Hey Adrien, how long have you been here at the party? I’m sorry for being late,” she apologized.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said gently, taking her hand in his. “You were fashionably late; on top of that, I think it was worth it. You look stunning tonight,” he then winked at her.

The rosy blush and small smile as she looked up at him were all that he wanted to see on his Princess, both of them completely forgetting they had an audience.

“Jeez, Adrien,” Alex smirked. “Just take her onto the dance floor or get a room.”

The two turned red, while there were some “ooh-la-la’s” from the other girls. They quickly made their way onto the dance floor before they could be razzed anymore by anyone else. The music that Nino was playing was a fun bouncing beat, causing everyone there to jump and get their groove on. After a couple songs he wound it down to a romantic slow dance, which was when he switched out with the hired DJ so he could have a turn on the floor with Alya.

Adrien kept his eyes on Marinette, studying her face, trying to commit this moment of them together like this to his heart. Her blushing cheeks bringing out her freckles, the way her dark eyelashes framed her beautiful eyes, her body close to his bringing him an inner peace hadn’t felt for a long time. Smiling shyly up at him, he gasped when moved her head closer to his ear, clinging to his shoulders.

“I’m so glad you ask me to the dance Adrien, thank you,” she whispered.

“It was my pleasure, Mari,” he said truthfully.

“There’s something… that I’ve wanted to tell you,” she started; he could feel her hands shake from where they’d curled around his neck.

“What would you like to tell me?”

“It’s a little too noisy and crowded, would you mind if we talked somewhere else?” Then as if on cue, the music started blasting and picking up speed.

Not wanting to wait another fifteen minutes or until the next slow dance to find out, he took her by the hand and they both raced out of the packed room. They jogged through the halls, trying each door, finding most locked, and others being used by some of the other students for their own privacy. They finally found one and went inside, locking the door behind them.

Matinette walked over to the desks, the gown flowing behind her making her appear ethereal, and then she sat down on one of them. She started twiddling her fingers nervously; he knew it had to be something big if she was doing all this. But he also knew she tended to over-think things, sometimes coming to either bizarre conclusions or worrying herself over nothing. Realizing he was still standing next to her and waiting for her permission, she patted the spot next to her. When he was seated she turned to face him with a determined look.

“To me, you aren’t just my boyfriend Adrien,” she said, gently touching his hand. “You’re one of my best friends.”

“It’s the same for me Marinette,” he smiled gently.

“This secret I have, NO ONE knows about it; not my parents, not any of my other friends, not even Alya.”

“Wow…”

“I’ve chosen to tell you this secret because I recently figured out that you might have a similar one,” she whispered. Gently, the young designer rubbed her one of the black studs that he noticed she always wore. Adrien’s eyes widened with realization, a chill ran up his spin at the déjà vu he was getting, then shock as he coughed, trying to recover.

“I know it’s sudden, but I wanted to tell you that I love you mon Chaton and that I’m sorry,” she said gently bringing her hand to his face to cup his cheek.

“FINALLY…” the word dragged out by the nasally voice of his kwami, as the creature floated out from his hiding spot in the inner pocket of his jacket. “I’m glad one of you oblivious idiots was able to figure it out. Do you have ANY idea how stuffy it is in that jacket?”

“Plagg!”

Adrien knew he wasn’t the only one who’d yelled that name since his voice wasn’t feminine or squeaky, though he was definitely peeved at his cantankerous cat. He also had to admit that the dark god was right; he was obviously unaware for not seeing the signs sooner. For basically blinding himself to the truth because of his love for his… well, love.

Out from a hidden skirt pocket came a small red and black spotted kwami, similar and yet different from Plagg. Her true blue eyes glaring disapprovingly at her apparent nonchalant opposite then floated over towards Adrien with a kind smile and a twinkle in her eye.

“It’s nice to meet you Adrien. I’m Tikki, Marinette’s kwami,” she smiled sweetly.

“It’s a pleasure,” he whispered, holding his hands out making a cup shape for her to rest in.

“Such a gentleman,” she cooed.

“So,” Marinette started as she looked at the unimpressed floating black cat with acid green eyes. “You’re Plagg and the reason Adrien smells like strong cheese.”

“Hey! I’m also the reason he’s Chat Noir and that ‘strong cheese’ is the only thing that helps me sustain any energy with you two fighting Hawkmoth so much,” he growled.

“I just thought Adrien liked cheese,” she shrugged.

“The kid has no taste or stomach for the good stuff,” the dark god snarked. “On top of that, you smell too much like sweet tooth’s favorite cookies.”

“Um, I live in a bakery, I’m going to smell like cookies and other baked goods, no matter what I do,” she deadpanned.

“It still stands that he can’t stand having le meilleur fromage, Coccincelle,” he mumbled.

“No one eats the unhealthy amounts you scarf down,” mumbled the model.

The girl giggled at their by-play.

“This is something that’s been bugging me for a while and I kinda need to know,” the teen model started trying to and failing at holding back his anger and hurt from all these years.

“What is it, Adrien?” she asked gently.

“What was so wrong with Chat Noir that you couldn’t accept going out with him or even giving him a chance but you’re okay with me? You knew we were the same people, apparently.”

The room was quiet, save for the bass that was playing from the school dance, everyone staring at Marinette. The god of creation floated up and went to smack Plagg on the head, but was gently brought into her holder’s embrace. She decided to sit on her Chosen’s shoulder, while the teen calmed down. The young designer closed her eyes and took a shaky breath before looking at both wielder and guide across from her.

“Oh boy, here we go,” Plagg sighed, his stomach deciding at that moment to growl.

Adrien heaved his own sigh at his kwami. Marinette looked as though she just remembered something and pulled a small clothe wrapped bundle out of her pocket. When she unwrapped it, the dark kwami’s eyes lit up like it was Christmas. In her hand, she held a slice of soft looking cheese, with a strong herbal and slightly nutty fragrance.

“Is that…?” he asked reverently, his mouth salivating.

“I know it’s not Camembert. Tikki told me it was your favorite, but my family hasn’t figured out how to incorporate it into our bread at the bakery yet. But my father did have some of this Reblochon de Savdie in our family kitchen,” she explained, putting the cheese on the desk, her handkerchief acting as plate.

“Please, tell me that’s for me,” he begged, floating closer like a moth to a flame.

Marinette giggled while Adrien rolled his eyes at his kwami’s theatrics.

“Yes, it is.”

Plagg pounced on the cheese once it was on the desk, diving into it like he was swimming in the stuff.

“You’re gonna spoil him,” the model complained.

“Kid, the school cheeses are not the same as the delicacies of fine cheeses such as this one. No, it’s not the same as my wonderful gooey Camembert, but it’s still a fine cheese,” the dark god lectured around a bite before swallowing. “Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate getting any cheese you can get me in a pinch, but I’m NOT gonna turn my nose away to a really good cheese when it’s being offered.”

“Funny,” the boy mused as he put his head on his fist gazing down at his kwami. “You did that when I was asking what Ladybug was hiding during the incident with the Syren, going as far as pulling out one of my dirty gym socks in the laundry hamper and breathing into it like it was a bag-mask.”

“Hey! There’s a REASON that I had to keep my mouth shut about that, besides you now know why she was keeping you in the dark. Plus, you don’t have to deal with the Guardian or Tikki when their angry, it gets ugly,” the kwami visibly shivered, then went back to working on some of the cheese rind.

“You…,” Marinette stared at Adrien accusingly, he saw that her kwami was looking slightly amused. “You tried bribing your kwami… to reveal a secret because I couldn’t share it?”

Rubbing the back of his neck Adrien looked back up at her, feeling ashamed and stupid for outing himself. “I- really don’t have an excuse,” he said. “Honestly, I was tired of being in the dark, at the time I thought it was because you just ‘wouldn’t’ share it with me, not that you ‘couldn’t.’”

Marinette visibly winced but she knew this was coming and let him vent. It was only fair since she was sure he hadn’t been able to do much of that with Plagg or her as Ladybug. She watched as he ticked off each transgression with his fingers.

“First, you suspected my Dad, of all people; for being Hawkmoth but didn’t give me any proof of that, even after he’d been de-akumatized. In comes a new hero to help us out, Rena Rouge and I don’t get an explanation from either of you as to why or how. Not that I didn’t appreciate her help, but again, I was being left out on _another_ secret. Then you run off, disappearing for more help without telling me why or how during another Akuma attack. It’s only later that I find out the help you’ve been getting has been from the Guardian of the Miraculous, coming to me in my civilian life to give me the special potion for Plagg to also transform.”

“On top of that, you as Ladybug pushed me, Chat Noir your friend and partner away. Telling me that we couldn’t be romantic or reveal ourselves and yet here we are,” he continued, getting more personal. “You told me that there was a boy, you never went into detail, but I get the feeling that you really liked him since you never seemed to look at me the way I did you. So I accepted that I would only ever be your friend and moved on, or at least, I thought I had,” he finished, still worked up about the whole thing.

He also felt relieved in a way, to finally have gotten all of that out. Adrien honestly felt terrible for making her feel bad, he really did, but he was tired of not being in the know. Then being told only bits and pieces. Now apparently, things were ok for them to reveal themselves, which he felt should’ve happened a long time ago.

“Feeling a little better, now that it’s all out there?” she asked calmly.

“Kind of,” he nodded.

“I’ll try to explain what I can and what I do know, so bear with me.”

Plagg had finished his cheese and floated back over to his wielder with a small ‘thanks’ and sat on the boy’s blonde head, undoing the usual coiffure making it look more like Chat’s hair. Adrien glared back up at his kwami who was nesting in for a nap, the tiny black cat was bored with the whole situation. Marinette could feel herself wanting to bang her head against the wall for not seeing that her partner in crime fighting was her crush this whole time, with his hair being down like that. But she was done with all that. She’d been dealing with the realization for at least three weeks now.

“Well,” she started, bringing his attention back to her. “To start off, I’d suspected your father in the first place because the book he had been in possession of had previously belonged to someone else, the Guardian of the Miraculous. It’s true I didn’t have much proof, only that I’d gotten it from the trash when Lila had stolen it from you, so she could lie about being a Miraculous user, just to impress you. I had been watching you two in the library when I heard you mention that you’d borrowed the book from your father. So, that’s where that clue was leading me.”

“Wow,” he whispered.

“So, I’m sorry about that,” she continued. “I promise to try not to keep you in the dark about the investigations and to have more proof before jumping the gun like I did.”

“Apology accepted,” he mumbled.

“We needed help when we were dealing with Sapotis and the clue I got from my Lucky Charm was to get help from the Guardian, which was why I was gone so long. I was allowed to pick one Miraculous, find someone I thought was worthy of it, someone that could help in the situation we were in, someone I felt was trustworthy since we were short on time. So I chose that person, I won’t tell who it is because I feel it’s up to her since it’s also her secret to tell. I hope you understand,” she asked. “She doesn’t know who I really am either since I knew that wouldn’t be fair to you since you were my partner first.

Adrien nodded, “I’m assuming you went to the Guardian when we were dealing with Syren?”

“Yes. I had been sworn to keep him a secret from you for the time being. He wasn’t ready to reveal himself to you. At least that’s my guess, which is why he’d asked me to keep quiet. Just like with our Miraculous, we aren’t supposed to reveal ourselves to anyone.”

Again, the model acknowledged what she’d been saying so far, but he was still agitated with her dismissal of his feelings.

“As for pushing you away as Chat Noir,” she took a deep breath continuing and hoping that the truth would help mollify the hurt she’d put him through for all these years. “I only ever did so because of the boy I had feelings for. If we had met under different circumstances, if things had been different, I probably would’ve fallen in love with you, as my partner.”

Shaking his head, he thought he was hearing things.

_Another guy? She did mention him a while back but I thought I’d misheard her since she’d changed the subject so quickly_ , the model thought.

“You have no idea how much it hurt me that I had to say what I did to you, how much I worried over how you’d react to my answer, so I tried being gentle about it. You have been a true friend and a gentleman that night and I can’t thank you enough. And I still can’t apologize enough for not showing up for our meeting on the roof especially, when you had put in so much work and effort to make it so pretty. The roses and candles everywhere when we dealt with Glaciator; it was truly beautiful and touching. I had already made plans and had been hoping to meet up with my friends but especially with that boy I liked, maybe get la glace with him and them. When he hadn’t shown up, I was very disappointed; feeling like it should only be shared with lovers.”

“So, why’d you accept me when I asked you out instead of going out with this other guy? Why are you revealing yourself to me now, M’Lady? I thought you didn’t love me,” he asked, puzzled and still not placated with her answers thus far.

For a second, there was a look of shock on Marinette’s face as she gazed into his emerald eyes. Tikki face palmed and Plagg glared down at his oblivious chosen. At first, there was a snort, some giggling, and then full on laughter from the young designer. Adrien just sat there getting more and more put out by her reaction to his question the longer it lasted. Catching his eye, she reined it in to chuckles as she tried to calm down to answer him.

“Alright, kitty,” she smirked. “If you answer my question, I’ll tell you.”

“Deal,” he growled.

“Even though all this has happened, do you want to take a break or not date me anymore? I completely understand if you would rather we just stay friends after all this and I won’t hold any hard feelings, though I can’t promise I won’t feel hurt for a while. I want you to think about your answer, so don’t answer right away,” she warned.

The model hummed as he nodded, then he started puzzling out his feelings. While he’d been upset earlier, letting out his pent up feelings had helped him feel better about the whole situation. He couldn’t find it in himself ever regretting asking her out or being with her. She was sweet, she was sassy, she was everything he could ever want and there had been times he’d wondered how he’d ever gotten so lucky. Knowing she was Ladybug now, didn’t feel like a punch in the gut like he expected, but more like the icing on a very delicious cake.

He definitely didn’t like the idea of being a second choice to this other guy she apparently liked first. He started wondering if she had reacted to any other guy similarly to him and for some reason Luka popped in his head. He liked the Juleka’s older brother, he was very chill and creative like Marinette was but the thought of her liking the very zen-like punk was enough to set his teeth on edge. Then he remembered a rumor that he might have a thing for another artist type in their class, which put him at ease…, barely.

“No, I don’t want us to break up and it’d be extremely hard for us to go back to how we were before, as friends. Not that I wouldn’t try if that’s what you wanted, but I know it’s not what I want. I’d us like to continue dating, I really do love you,” he said honestly, but his questions still hadn’t been answered and he was done with the games.

“It kills me not knowing who this guy who might still have M’Lady’s affec-” a finger was placed over his lips silencing his tirade.

“Hush, Chaton,” she chided gently as she brought her finger back. “I’ll give you some helpful hints, and I want you to try to figure it out from there, alright?”

He nodded.

She took a deep breath, “I’ve known him since he started school here, and he’s very hard working, kind, gentlemanly, and silly to the point that his jokes make me laugh; even when he says them at the worst of times. Like me he’s very active and possibly has an even busier schedule than I do.”

“I’m liking this guy even less the more I hear about all his good points,” he grumped.

“He basically has a part-time job working for his father,” she continued, smirking. “Just by being there for the man in the best way he can, showing his support. This guy is loyal to a fault and can’t seem to say one bad thing about possibly the most horrible person in the entire school, even though they’ve been friends since they were little.”

Marinette paused, waiting to see if he would say anything. She saw he was looking at her with wonder, almost disbelief at her words, so she continued, wanting to hammer it home. Tikki was giggling on her shoulder and Plagg just rolled his eyes and flopped over on his side, still on his Chosen’s head evidently nauseated with the whole thing.

“Over time, I’ve collected a ridiculous amount of photos of him from all of his good angles and the different fashions he’s worn. So many in fact, that it’s getting harder to find enough space to hide them in my loft room. I’ve practically carved his face into my memory so I could never forget how perfect he looks to me. But even with his face plastered all over my bedroom walls, even when my best friend pointed out how almost spot on he looked in the copy of Chat Noir’s suit that his father made, EVEN when he sat in front of me the entire time we’ve known each other in school and talked to each other. I still never figured out he was my crime fighting partner until we went swimming three weeks ago on our first date, his hair falling out of its usual perfect coiffure, calling me by his pet name for me when he’s a super hero.”

“Princess,” he breathed, cheeks flushed and eyes swimming with emotion.

“Yes, that name. So…,” she started smiling sweetly at him as she leaned over, then whispered, “do you know who I’m talking about now, Adrien?”

He moved so quickly that Plagg tumbled out of his nest on his head, his hands going for the back of her head, the other going for her arm as he crashed their lips together. Tikki had flown off when she realized the boy’s intent and grabbed her grouchy counterpart by the tail and hiding them both behind the teacher’s desk, giving the two lovebirds privacy. Nothing felt as amazing or miraculous to Adrien as when he kissed the love of his life, holding her in his arms like he’d been longing to do since they first met as Ladybug and Chat Noir. The only thing that could compare was when he realized that he’d made his first real friend that rainy afternoon when he’d given her his umbrella.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading this story. I will not be continuing this version of the Miraculous universe. Please leave constructive or even positive critiques and I will reply to them as soon as possible. Another place you will find this story will be in the ML Fluff Month story Purrrfect For You, where I have collaborated a few drabbles and other short stories with my friends and other Miraculous Ladybug fans; Bronte, Fairia, Saijspellhart, and Saoirse_Ilysi. All of whom are very talented, they have each written something special and unique to add to the story collections here on AO3, so if you liked mine, please give their stories a chance as well. ;)


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